No Definition
by Mimi Good
Summary: There's only one internship yet the position is halved to two people. They both live in the city but come from two very different financial walks of life. Both desperately want the final offer at the end of the year which would be a secure placement at the company. Will Stefan and Elena survive the complications of being competitive co-workers? Friends With Benefits. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: I Had A Shitty Day

Getting fired was the worst way to stop someone's income in such in an abrupt and senseless way. In Elena's job's defense, they had a building case against her for months. Her constant write-ups for being late caught up to her. She'd worked at the huge Macy's store downtown Chicago. Being the extroverted individual she was, the young woman loved the fast-paced environment of retail. Though she didn't love the management or the schedule they gave her. The brunette didn't care about her job anymore especially since she found something better.

After sending her cover letter to a renowned journalist company, they finally got back in touch with her for their half-year internship that would start in the dead of summer. The interview was one step away from working for the company. She'd just graduated with a degree in Journalism and Media studies from Columbia back in May, so this was perfect timing. Right now the determined brunette was out shopping on Michigan Avenue with her best friend. Looking at clothes that she couldn't even afford - especially with all her student debt.

Caroline pulls out another pantsuit and insisted, "Ooh, la la. This is _so _your color, try it on."

"Ugh, Caroline I don't know," Elena sits down on a tan colored bench near the full-length mirror. "Coming here was a bad idea fueled by impulse."

"Yeah, but you need a bad-ass outfit to match the fire and passion you have for this job," Caroline squatted down to meet her friend at eye level and bore her blue, concerned eyes into her. "You know I could pull Stacey out for you." Elena's faced flushed in worry. Her 21st birthday had virtually cost her nothing thanks to her persistent child hood best friend funding the celebration.

"Caroline, you already bought me a graduation present on top of reserving that VIP room for my birthday last weekend at Lite."

"But I'm the one with the rich gay dad who has years worth of guilt of throwing me and my mom to the wayside," the blonde held up the black pantsuit. "This is so your color - for your first day because you're getting the job. You need to look hot when you're employed."

The brown-eyed woman sighed in hopeless defeat, her friend was so not letting her back down from buying her this.

* * *

Stefan Salvatore was a current graduate from a prestigious city school and also second and final heir to the family company. He did the on-campus thing for about one semester, hated it and came to live back home. With a modern mansion-esque house right looking over the lake, who'd want a cramped apartment to share with some random stranger. He always studious and very attentive to his classes for the majority of his university career until someone scurried out of his life like a mouse on Christmas Eve.

It wrecked his heart and then ultimately his senior year, one that he recklessly partied like no tomorrow and came to class with a red bull in his supposed coffee cup. Graduating with a 3.0 on his final transcript was a minor loss he had to take. His mother and father just shook their head in judgment but never sought to fix his slump. Now that he was out of school, it was time to crack down. Especially with the rager, he threw last weekend to celebrate his four years of college.

"So," Lily began, "This semester has been hard for you, we see and we've been generous with your very," Pause. "Interesting occurrences."

Stefan yawned and looked at his gold Rolex for the time. This intervention had to happen on a Saturday evening. He was dressed in a black sweater with his sleeves pushed up slightly and light-washed jeans as his bottoms. He sat with his toes pointed outwards, preventing his new Air Force Ones from creasing. From the looks of it, the young man was uninterested and places to be and red cups to chug.

"Can we get to the point, please? I gotta pick Tyler up at 9 and-"

"We're kicking you out," his father said all at once, tired of his son's flippant attitude. "We've given you way too many chances and my patience ended with that ridiculous party you threw last week."

"What? You can't be serious, where the hell am I going to go?" They were being unbelievable.

"You have until Tuesday to get all of your belongings out of here. I gave you an extra day because you have an interview on Monday."

"I said that I wasn't going," Stefan said with grimace dripping from his voice. "You guys are making me get a job this summer when I wanted to take a year off."

"Stefan," his mother stressed, "I cannot take another year of you doing what you're doing," she sighed and said carefully, "That girl made you go down a bad spiral but we need you to wake up now and deal with the real world."

The man being intervened held the bridge of his nose in frustration. His ex beaking up with him didn't directly make him pompous and careless, her leaving did. He was hurt and wanted to lash out, now it was coming back to bite him in the arse.

He applied for that internship and several others last August. Positions as limited as though took months to hear back from and had to be meticulously planned. Sending his grand resume took a total of 36 hours. On the other hand, his past happy self was excited to be possibly working at the city's most famous publications.

"Fine, whatever, can I go?" He had 72 hours to leave his home and he didn't even want to reflect on it - sober at least.

"Wait, boy," Giuseppe said, handing him some keys with a tag that read an address. "First month's rent and utilities are paid for, rest is on you."

Stefan eyes it and looks at his father who has his hands in his pockets. "Thanks."

His black Range Rover honks loud as hell as his jock friend Tyler Lockwood runs from his apartment duplex. He's wearing a plaid shirt and jeans with thick glasses and converses are on his feet. He's used to wearing athletic clothes that tug on his buff features but can clean up nicely. Not to say this was a nice party but there were going to be women there with some sort of class. Showing up with basketball shorts and a tank wasn't going to always cut it.

"Fucking Pointdexter," Stefan joked as Tyler shut his car door.

"C' mon, the glasses and a basic shirt, this screams smart and attentive," he nudged his friend in the driving seat. "Something that'll get me some intellectual pussy tonight."

"Right, 'cause the _STEM _girls are totally going to slum it with you at Mckittrick's party tonight."

"Hey, I told one of them not to be a stranger and her kind of flirted back, so you never know," Tyler pointed out, earning a light laugh from his buddy.

"I'm only going to this thing because Amber will chew me out if I don't."

"So, what's the deal with you and her, you smash yet or what?" Tyler asked as they stopped for a group of girls. They were all blonde and skinny giggling the night away, some wore Roosevelt hoodies he recognized them from school. The walking group stopped to see the two males and waved. Tyler smiled widely and let his window asked to see if they were headed to the party.

"Do not offer anyone any free rides, I _barely _wanted to pick your ass up," Stefan gritted under his teeth.

"Alright, ladies see you there, walk safely!" Tyler called out and sunk back in his seat to give Stefan an annoyed look.

"What?"

"You saw me running game man and you just had to ruin it. You'd be all over that with me, Amber must have some bomb-"

"We haven't had sex, okay?" Stefan's voice came out more high-pitched than usual, possible proof that his dry spell had him reverting back to the eighth grade.

Tyler laughed out loud and then was left alone in disbelief. "Oh, so you're _not _joking?"

"She says that'll happen eventually and would like for me not to see anyone else. We've done other stuff though."

"I don't even know what to say this is the closest you've been to monogamy since...well y' know and you're wasting it on someone as dimwitted as Amber!"

"Hey!" Stefan came to her defense. "She's insanely gorgeous, funny, and she has a fun personality! Did I also say that she's a blonde who's like really pretty?"

Tyler just shook his head not pleased at all with his friend's selection in women. He looks up at the house they're approaching and is ready to make the most of his night. Parking is hell and they settle on something that's 2 blocks away. When they walk in they meet a very lively party. Girls are walking up to the top floor in their bikinis, others are by the keggar, and the rest are sitting modestly by the kitchen counter or on the couch. Tyler tries not to salivate like a bear at his choices. It isn't long before he patted his longtime friend on the back when leaving him to chase skirts.

Stefan grabbed a cup and began gulping it down while leaning on the brown marble counter. He was there not even 30 minutes and bored out of his mind. All he could think about is his impromptu eviction given by his parents. He debated on getting wasted, having Tyler drive him home and get his car back in the morning. Then he decided it would be too much work and would slow his moving process down. Hell, even being there could have been time put towards boxing his items up. Amber couldn't be in his face fast enough with her boisterous breasts that always tightly gripped her shirts.

God had been right on time because just before he was about to send Tyler an 'I'll be in the car text' the curvy blonde and him met ways.

"Hi," She greeted sultry-like, throwing some hair behind her ear.

He places his hands on her hips, squeezing them gently and then leaning down to kiss her. He still knew how to romance a woman, he just didn't feel like it most days considering the last time he did, she took off. Amber is pleasantly surprised by the action and squealed, "I thought we weren't going public." They still hadn't defined what was going on with them.

"Well, considering I have been waiting on you all night, I say screw it."

Amber kissed him this time with so much force and passion that the partygoers started chugging her name out. When they released, Stefan came out on the other side dizzy and breathless while Amber was putting on a show. Flipping her hair at the crowd and smiling coyly. Her man's spontaneity in claiming her like that sparked the girl's libido. "Take me out of here, big boy," she whispered dangerously in his ear. Those were the type of words he loved to hear and after all that time he invested into the blonde, a quickie was past overdue.

They walk out together causing everyone in the way to make a walkway for them. Stefan can't hold his smile back, he was so getting laid and no one could tell him otherwise. The walk from the house to his car wasn't long as they practically ran to it. It was a crazy idea Amber swore but after some thorough convincing, the blonde was now half naked in his truck. It was very much a public street which made Stefan's adrenaline pump, along with other things, twice as hard. Her off-shoulder Michael Kors top was now lying in his backseat after a simple pull-over.

Amber puts a finger to his lips, his eyes flicker in confusion. "Woah, there I need to see some skin from you. Fair is fair, Stefan," she points at her lovely bosom and he nods in wonder before taking off his sweater. He grinned as the female above him ran her hands over his abs. What could he say, he kept up with a strict workout regimen especially with a stellar fitness room in the basement of his house. _God_, he was going to miss his house. Once again his hands' grip on Amber's ass but with more force and she giggles before they start their tongue Olympics.

Right when Stefan's hands find the hook of her bra, she looks up at a running figure coming towards them. "_Tyler_?" She asked in complete bewilderment.

Stefan's mouth finds a soft spot on her neck and murmured, "No, Tyler baby just me."

Tyler banged on the window when he couldn't get in the car helplessly and his face morphed into overwhelm when he saw the sight before him.

"Oh shit, man I didn't mean to interrupt-"

Amber looked annoyed and grabbed her shirt from the back seat, still on top of the driver.

Stefan stifled a groan at the friction of her jeans against his. "What do you want, Tyler?"

"I need a ride home ASAP," He opens the door after he hears the click of it being unlocked.

The blonde just looks at the passenger seat that is taken and glared at the person in it. Stefan looks at the backseat and says in placating voice. "If you don't mind." She scoffed and jumped into the second row. The Salvatore cringed at his leather seats being smashed so much. She wasn't focused on sitting back there the non-rude way because she was pissed and how could he blame her?

Amber was dropped off first because she lived nearby but it allowed Stefan to ream his friend for a good minute. Tyler knew it wasn't the best idea to follow where his friend went when he asked a person in the living room where he might have gone but he could not stay stuck being enemy number one at the party. Clearly, his friend was furious about his never-ending dry spell.

"Look, man, no one told me that Anna and Ben were still together, how the hell am I supposed to know these things?"

"They're always going to be together! It's like fucking night and day with them but they love each other, you're supposed to know these things after 4 years with these people," He takes a look at Tyler's face; "Your glasses are gone, he knocked 'em off your face, huh?"

Tyler laughed. "Nah, Anna took off while we were - you know what I mean. They're gone forever. _Poof_."

"Ah."

He looked over at Stefan, the street light captured his facial structure perfectly.

"Why do you get to wake up looking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Nevermind."

Stefan starts the car up again and heads towards Tyler's apartment building. It's a high rise and he wonders how far it will be from his own place. Shit, his place and he hadn't even told his best friend about it. To be fair, the male hadn't told anyone about his new living arrangments.

"I'll stop being pissed at you if you help me move tomorrow afternoon."

Tyler's eyes widen in shock. "Dude, when are you moving and where?" He slaps Stefan's shoulder. "Welcome to adulthood."

"Tuesday, my Pops is kicking me out, said he's tired of my shit."

"Well, congrats. That house was sick though." Stefan nodded in agreement, it hurt even thinking about leaving his home for more than a day.

"Also, I have an interview at the Chicago Tribune. This internship is super tight I guess I got called back," He tells his friend who looks overjoyed at the recent news.

"Man, that's good. See look at you being forced to be productive post graduation!" Tyler grabbed Stefan's hand and they bumped shoulders.

"Tomorrow I got you, alright?" The black-haired man says while retreating out of the truck.

"Can't wait," Stefan responded with little to no enthusiasm with moving out.

* * *

They interview on the same day and at different times. Mondays were always the ideal day to interview potential hires. The building itself was formidable in its beige color and tall height. Elena almost regretted in wearing her tall pumps because she kept stumbling in them. Everyone had on suits - black and blue and seemed to be doing very important. As she stood in the center of the floor, she felt small but yet exuberant. The young girl had something to offer and she would make herself known.

Stefan had a later appointment and still came in tardy. He and Tyler spent an hour in traffic after putting some of his valuable items in storage. His A/C went out as well so now the young man was sweating out a $500 suit. He didn't expect to move to be so hard and time-consuming but he was practically done and was ready to move into his new place. Speaking of it, making first month's rent would be a real challenge if he didn't score this position. They were working up the wrong kind of sweat for the new graduate.

Elena smiled and shook hands with the superior who would be conducting the interview. It was a respectful exchange and she sat down in her seat and crossed her legs. _Damn this Kate Spade_, she thought as she patted her skirt.

"So, Elena, tell me about you, we see you went to Columbia. Our department's editor is an alumnus there."

That information would be a seamless transition for her.

"It's a great school, there's so much opportunity and room for growth there. I feel like in my four years I was able to build so much there. I lived in a single parent home on the North side, just accepting I was going to end up going to some junior college to help my mom and brother out. Senior year rolled around and I just had a great English teacher who pushed for me to apply there and I can't say that it was magic because there was hard work in getting there too. My spark for writing and what was going on in pop culture never faltered."

"That's good," he wrote something down on his note pad. "So, how did you like the ONA?"

She hated it and hoped this question wouldn't come up. If she was a journalism major, of course, she'd like a club associated with it.

"Very intriguing and the experience from it I something I will always keep with me."

"As a young person, do you think everything will be digital?"

"Of course it will be. I applied for this position because I think it is the most progressive department here and a fresh mind will definitely shape it. Millennials aren't picking up newspapers and neither are the generations below them."

"I agree, which is why I've been demanding for the glass cases to be lessened throughout the city," The man said. "What is your favorite story by us?"

Elena answers with a political debate; it didn't fall under their department but the topic transcended politics because of how it was talked about for its unprofessionalism. The interviewer nicely agreed and writing something in his notebook. The rest of their time went well, she was surprised on the way she carried herself so confidently. He tells her that a background check will be run and he expects to tell her of her fate there within the next two business days. Instead, she opted to text her friend about her new job. A text does no good for Caroline so she isn't surprised when the blonde facetimed her.

"See, I told you to put your suit to use and look what your little ass accomplished in 30 minutes," She looks at Elena who seems to be walking towards the bus stop. "Are you going home?"

"I can't thank you enough, Caroline, but I am so not in the mood to not hang out who isn't my bed," Elena explained while stepping onto the bus and slid her card. Her feet were killing her; 6 inches of height would send her 6 feet under the dirt.

A figure pops in the blonde's camera, who is visibly shorter. "_Not even for me_?" The voice says innocently and Caroline is laughing away in the background.

"Bonnie?" Elena asks shockingly, feeling tears of joy come to her eyes. "When did you get back here, I mean you were just here for my graduation not even two weeks ago!" The small woman was coming from back a 2-hour flight from New York.

"Well, I got here last night but it's hard to do that quietly with a loudmouth fiance like Damon and my rambunctious little Angelica."

Elena smiled at the small four-year-old now just complaining about the airport working up her mother's last nerve. "I have no choice, I have to come to see you."

"No, you look tired, we'll have time to hang out the whole week and next Sunday I wanted to invite you to our engagement party at Damon's parent's house." Elena sighed in relief, she was given a break. It would have taken her a large iced coffee with extra caffeine to match Caroline's energy. She loved her childhood friend but her optimism was way too much to handle on a 24-hour basis.

"Doesn't his family own that big ass house right by the lake?" The blonde questions, mildly impressed. "That landscaping is amazing, that house made it on Top Houses." Bonnie and Elena stare at her with confusion. "What? It was 3 am and I couldn't find the remote, and I couldn't wake _him _up to help me find it." Yes, hook-ups were completely normal for the mostly single blonde. Being tied down to one man was limiting and insulting for her, she deserved all the flavor her young life had to offer.

"Look, I'm inviting all of my closest friends which are you two and of course my family is going, so you down or what?"

"Bonnie Bennett, of course, I will go to your pre-marriage dinner."

"Good and don't cook anything either, his folks are going all out anyway. Angelica is old enough to express her distaste in dishes."

Before Elena can defend her culinary skills, they have already ended the call leaving her to scoff alone.

* * *

It's Monday evening and Stefan is preparing for bed, his final night in his home. he leaves the bathroom and returns to see his brother and niece watching cartoons. At first, Stefan chuckled at the thought of Damon being a father before but can't see him without the title now. Almost 5 years the raven-haired Salvatore wasn't walking on a straight road, to say the least about his outrageous behavior.

"Hey, world's best dad, hi Angelica," Stefan greeted them.

"Hi, uncle Stefan, me and daddy are watching toons if you don't mind."

Damon nudged her. "Of course he doesn't mind, Bambina, he doesn't live here, anymore." he turned towards Stefan with a bright smile. "Right, Steffy?"

The younger brother folded his arms. "So, the old man told you, huh?"

"Of course, he did it was either that or him debriefing me on prenups and awkwardly offering marriage advice."

"Well, my interview started out bad but generally got better. Maybe I won't be living in a cardboard box by the end of the month."

"I think we should pop open that bottle and celebrate you coming into well, adulthood and me and Bonnie moving back here permanently."

"Yeah, for sure. I can't believe she was able to move out of New York, you were doing good there helping out the company there."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong little brother," He looks over his shoulder to see his sleeping daughter and picked her up to walk her to her room, Stefan followed and they walked and talked about him wanting to move back home. It was a room Lily decorated colorfully for when Angelica came to visit. Damon explained to him how bad Bonnie yelled and screamed at his decision and they walked around their apartment avoiding each other the entirety of last week before she finally agreed. All her family and friends still lived in the Midwest, that was a good enough reason for her to side with her partner.

The two brothers are in the kitchen and that bottle of bourbon is already opened and they have a glass in their hand.

Stefan asked, "Why do you wanna come back, in the smack middle of summer?"

"I can't control homesickness and the only way to cure it is to come back, right?" Damon gulped down the rest of his drink numb to the strong potency. "I'm back, baby!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: New Policies

Elena smoothed out her black suit and looked over her side checking her appearance. Today was Monday and it was her first day. Apparently, the upcoming dinner was the next Sunday so it gave her more time to hang out with Bonnie, who was crashing at her place for a night. Her new mother-in-law could be just plain suffocating at times.

It'd just be a simple walk through of the building and she was already overthinking it. She put her hair up and then down and grabbed a fist full of it and cursed while spinning in circles. The young woman had to be at work in 30 minutes.

"Would you stop that running around?" Bonnie asked with her daughter in her lap who was engrossed in some game on her iPad. "You look fine," she poked her child. "Tell your aunt, Elena, she looks fine."

Angelica took it a step further of what her mom asked. "You look boo-beautiful, Auntie Elena."

Elena bowed and said, "Thank you. Bonnie, I don't know why you came here early this morning to help me get ready but I really appreciate it."

"I had to see you off on your first day and Lily has been more overbearing than usual so maybe I and Angie needed this time away from her. We're getting fro-yo after you leave."

Elena stood in front of her mirror again to fix her updo style with bobby pins. "So, what's his family like, you know your soon-to-be family."

Bonnie clicked her tongue and left Elena in suspense for a while.

"They're alright. Rich, quiet but loud in a sense if you analyze them. The dad is sporadically there he's either at the office or on business trips. The mom is always there, I heard she was his receptionist and the rest is history. Then there's Damon's brother, he moved out by force apparently."

"Older brother, hmm I never knew that," She swung towards Bonnie to get her approval of her hand-styled bun. "Is he older or younger, I feel like Damon would have mentioned him."

"Oh, he's younger I guess he never did anything that was talk-worthy enough for Damon, which is weird because my baby's father talks too much at times," Bonnie said and rubbed the back of her daughter's braided head. "He graduated the same weekend you did so we killed two birds with one stone when we flew here 2 weeks ago."

Angelica had an epiphany and her lips curbed into a smile and elbowed her mom. "Uncle Stefan and her are the same age. Don'tchu want a boyfriend Auntie Elena?"

She gasped at the question and turned back into her mirror and assured that she was fine without a man right now.

Bonnie shook her head at her young daughter's low-tier matchmaker skills. "Ignore her, please, she needs to focus on child-like things and not a grown person's love life."

..

While on the bus, the brunette just chuckled at thought of being more entwined with Bonnie if she had dated the woman's brother-in-law. Them being best friends was enough to keep her content. But it was no other but fate itself for the two to miss each other by just a hair. She did all the analysis brain could handle do to see what an internship would be like but no other er experience would be like hers.

"Elena," an assistant with a clipboard beamed, causing her to jump. "I'm Rachel," she held her hand out for them to shake. "I'll be showing you around today. Big Boss is busy and things like that."

Elena just nodded and humbly as they walked around the cathedral-like tower. Most of it was helping Rachel with her assistant duties in the printer room. She had to catch up quickly in fear of being far behind. It was a taught nature growing up in the city but now it felt quadrupled. her career was on the line. Rachel was shorter than her but carried herself as if she was 8 feet tall yet retaining her femininity. That was the type of energy Elena needed to be around and she fed off of it well.

"We're supposed to be meeting the other candidate, I think McGregor has him," the auburn-haired woman stated and Elena looked lost. Another person? There had to be a mistake. Holding back her incoming eye-roll Rachel responded, "Yes, you have some competition, sweetie. It's a guy so don't prep your face to say what you're thinking while smiling at them in the face." Rachel was blunt with her words.

"Okay, do I get to meet him?"

Rachel glanced at her digital watch. "Yeah, soon. Let's walk again to see if we can find them."

The problem was with that was Elena had to go use the ladies bathroom. Working 6 hours with someone without any break sort of caused the need to urinate. It didn't stop Rachel from blowing her breath and having to the girl twice where the restrooms were. Elena decided to take her time afterward and fixed her lipstick and whatnot in the mirror. Her hair was still perfectly neat and not poofy since being under the air-conditioning. It was then she realized there was a different type of toilet in the room and was quickly heading out.

She was completely embarrassed and it was nothing short of luck of some man coming in and pissing away. Had Rachel pointed in the right way or was she just too impatient to go? It didn't even matter, no one would know. However, the other person on the opposite end of the door was in direct opposite of her wishes. God just had to forsake Elena Gilbert. She bumped into a male with sandy brown hair and green eyes as she'd never witnessed before. It could have been any other old guy who'd been working there for years and simply brushed the young woman off but it just had to be Stefan Salvatore.

"Woah," he said, looking her up and down - not in a pig way but just to see who the doofus was who couldn't walk straight.

"I uh-"

"This is the men's restroom..." he clarified with a raised eyebrow, leading on so she can explain herself. Shit, did she even go as she?

Elena could only latch on to only one word. "Door, I was trying to go out the door," she practically stuttered.

"Look, I don't know if you aren't comfortable in the women's bathroom," He trailed off seeing her get more nervous. "All I' saying is it's the 2010s and I support any alternative lifestyle. Drunkly, I even said that my best friend was hot and I'd probably say it again without 3 tequilas back to back."

"I'm not a queer!" Elena exclaimed, making people walk past gawk at her and then excused herself pushing past the man who had too much nonsense to say.

Rachel had her hands out gesturing Elena just now getting back was unacceptable. "Where were you at?"

The brunette folded her arms, hugging herself as she said, "Men's bathroom," she looked at Rachel's slightly curious look. "Don't ask, please,"

"Well, the demographic here is old white male so I don't know what you were looking for in there," she quipped.

Elena laughed at the comment and cracked up some more. She needed it considering the long day she's been having. She shouldn't be cracking up on the first but yet here she is, cracking up. Her shift was over at 5 and she couldn't wait for the hour to approach. For the strenuous day, Rachel took pity on the new candidate by walking her to the food court. A floor she purposely skipped, work came first and then hunger. They got smoothies and the red-head ran her credit card for both drinks, she wasn't looking to be paid back even though Elena offered.

Once up to speed with the assistant's speed of thinking, she wasn't that awful. Elena learned that she got the position when she was 19 and had found her calling. Not many people could say they get paid printing papers out and ordering coffee. of course, there was more to the job but those were the first two tasks she was given daily. They head back to ground floor once Rachel reminded her they hadn't shown her who her competition was. Elena did not want to see the bathroom boy again.

Stefan and Elena looked at each other awkwardly and she looked away.

"You two know each other?" McGregor asked, hoping that this wasn't a reunion for someone's night stand.

"Yeah, we met earlier," Elena spoke up, stopping the silence.

"By the men's bathroom, actually," Stefan said with a smile causing the woman in the black pantsuit to glare at him angrily.

"Right," she said and extended her hand out. "I'm Elena."

He matched her same level of regard and shook her hand firmly. "I'm Stefan," he introduced himself with a cool, unwavering swagger.

Her brown eyes flashed warily at him. This has to be 'Uncle Stefan'.

The two were still staring at each other, scanning each other's reaction of one another.

"Okay, you two will have enough time to do that during the rest of the week, I promise you'll hate each other by the end of the internship," Rachel stated, ending their gaze.

"Right," Stefan agreed but kept his eyes on Elena, his lips curbing into a devious smile. "It was...interesting meeting you today, Elena."

"Likewise." She keeps it simple and classy as he brushes past her purposely with that same smirk.

..

Elena goes home and the first thing she does is release her hair from the several bobby pins and let her locks fly free from her hair. Her mother always said the way you dress should reflect what your personality was like. And the brunette meant business. She strips down in the bathroom, hanging her suit on the rack because it needed to be dry cleaned and not washed according to Caroline. Then, she hopped in the shower and had the water on cold using her favorite Dove body wash to cleanse herself from the day.

Once in her to-go pajamas which were a tank and short she plopped down on her queen-sized mattress. Her curtains were drawn so the beaming sunlight wouldn't burn her skin. So, she looked up at the ceiling blankly. Her empty thoughts soon became about Stefan. Their encounters had been strangely magical. She wished that she could just forget it altogether and him but he's going to be her co-worker. Even worse, they had a connection bigger than work - he was Bonnie's new brother-in-law. Elena sighed and turned on her side hoping the week turned out well despite the information she was harboring.

* * *

Days pass and they're creeping closer to Friday than Monday and have learned of each other's quirks quickly. Elena likes to get her work done quickly and refines her articles at least or 3 times. Her dedication to the job wasn't faltering, the man had some good competition. They hardly talked or that's how Elena wanted it. He'd try to strike up a conversation if he was bored and she shot him down with a nod. They were always in line for coffee at the same time and he even offered to pay for her latte. The brunette just gave him a less than optimistic look and said that she could pay for her own cup. Did he smell bad or was she just a bitch?

"Wait you work with a chick?" Tyler asked over the phone, excited for his friend.

Stefan had gone out for a nightly run and was just now getting in. A woman was behind him trying to get in the apartment door and he held it open for her, Basic level chivalry wasn't all the way dead. This wasn't his first time seeing her and he knew it wouldn't be the last. She smiled at him and thanked him and the tradeoff was him staring at her behind. It was a delectable ass and the blonde had on tight jean shorts that complimented it greatly.

"What's the pause for?" Right, his wordless flirting was taking place while he was still on the phone with Tyler.

"Ah, yeah, sorry I was just getting acquainted with my neighbor." He was on the elevator headed upstairs. "Yeah, I work with this girl apparently she's a recent graduate from Columbia." He found out that information by pestering her about her school experience.

"Oh, so she's smart or is she 'my parents altered my SATs' smart?"

The elevator dinged and Stefan was finally on his floor. "She's really smart, which is hella scary. I'm not getting that spot easily and on top of that, she doesn't like me." He twisted his doorknob after unlocking it and asked, "What's not to like about me?"

"You may not be living as lavish but you still carry yourself as some overly confident rich kid, maybe she sees right through you when you have everyone fooled. Does everyone else seem to like you?"

"Well, yeah, I do what I'm supposed and the editor wants me to ask my dad to go golfing with him, I and the old man aren't even on a talking basis but I really want to cover this story about the mayor."

"See, she doesn't have this uber-rich daddy for the Big Boss to play something as flavorless like golf. For God sakes, you don't even have a time clock-" Tyler stopped his next rant of the sport and continued with this: "This girl is hungrier than you, she's had to build herself up from the dirt and you just swoop in with all your slight haughtiness and doors just open for you because of your privilege."

"Wow, I've told you next to nothing about her or the job and you just come with this conclusion."

"But am I wrong?"

"No."

"Drop the golf meet and score that story by using your God-given intellect and drive."

"I'll think about it," Stefan said and hung up.

* * *

Elena once again stood in line for her pre-clock in coffee boost. At first, when she started drinking the cocoa beverage she did it superficially. Now she couldn't imagine her mornings without it. She's surprised not to see her persistent co-worker behind her or at least in front - she usually beats him. She looks over her shoulder and asks the male behind her if he's seen Stefan and when he nods his head no she thinks where he might be. He was the only other person there without seniority and under 25 years of age. The two could relate on some level.

Elena cursed herself for even worrying about the man because the next minute he's rushing in. His shirt is crinkled and unbuttoned and his hair tousled as he'd just got out of bed. In other words, Stefan looked disastrous. A gorgeous disastrous but he did look unkempt for the most part. She took pity on him and ordered two drinks - her caramel latte and his two pumps of cream and sugar with hazelnut. Turning around with both drinks she stopped him from dealing with a busy line.

"Thank you," Stefan said, grabbing the white paper cup, his fingers accidentally brushing Elena's. There's a spark there.

She quickly put her hand back on her coffee and drank it. "No problem, you looked less than glam this morning."

He eyed her outfit of a light blue suit jacket with a pencil skirt. She never had a terrible day fashion wise at least. "It's hard to compete with someone who's so well put-together."

Elena just smiled; flattery was not going to work on her. He's her opponent the politeness could only be so high. You couldn't be nice to work here.

"I'll see you soon," She tells him before walking off.

They see each other again and unfortunately, they're in a meeting with about 15 other people. Elena sat up straight with her hands crossed but most of the talk has nothing to do with her. Still, it's about respect so she just stays quiet and listened. Stefan is completely bored and slouches in his chair, he was tired from the last night of impromptu homework. He put Tyler's advice to work and researched everything about the mayor down to his roots up to his upcoming possible re-election. If they weren't talking about that, he didn't care.

A person at the table calls on him and wants to know his opinion on their coverage on the gun control crisis in the city and is it through.

Stefan ran his fingers over his face, rubbing his eyes and answered, "It could be better and it could be written less formally if you're trying to grasp the South side's attention. You're using headlines that aren't grabbing them and it shows you don't care."

"Interesting," the writer says and turns to Elena. "And what do you think?"

Stefan's answer caught her off-guard, she didn't think he was very rounded on issues so she was glad he didn't stutter like an idiot. "I agree completely. It shouldn't be written in a way for us," she circles the table for emphasis. "Our lives aren't at stake here and in one of your articles about the Memorial Day shootout your tone is judgmental and reads as 'This again?' People are dying and there is a lack of sensitivity there, one of the times journalism really calls for it." Elena breathes in and out after gauging everyone's reaction. They all look challenged and she feels satisfaction as the meeting continues.

One person cleared their throat, shushing the entire room and announced, "We want to make our decision on who should interview the mayor. We've talked about various topics here and we just wanted to see where your stances were - who's more passionate and knowledgeable about everything we asked today," He looked towards Elena and said, "We chose you." The young girl couldn't hide the joy on her face and thanked them loudly. Someone pulled her to the side and gave her a briefing about the questions that were going to be asked.

Stefan looked and felt defeated, storming out the room once the brunette was led out of her seat. He threw off his sleep for this when he could have just canceled all the extra studying. That Elena was just too prepared, he needed to figure out her formula. As he leaned on the cold wall outside the meeting room he had to decide which route he was going from here on out. Keeping your enemies close could have helped him in the long run. All he had to do was break into Elena Gilbert.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Please review.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Try Some Tenderness

Today was the day of the engagement party and Elena had been dreading it. She spent the majority of going over her assignment. It was easier throwing herself into the interview than to realize she was going to see Stefan again. The female had to pretend like she didn't know about their link - her best friend and his brothers to be in holy union soon. She also found it strange of him congratulating her on her interview when he obviously wanted the job. Now the brunette was alternating outfits but was stopped when she got a call from Caroline.

"I'm ready," The blonde said and then honked at a slow car ahead of her. "Come on asshole, move it!"

She was in deep traffic coming back into the city but she was telling her friend that she was ready 30 minutes prior to picking her up.

"You sure about that, Care?" Elena asked while holding a red dress with a v-neck.

"Just be ready, alright? I just talked to Bonnie and she said that her mom might not be able to make it, she's upset and she needs us."

"Ah, well she never approved of their relationship in the first place. The age gap and all and Bonnie lying to everyone about their relationship."

"Okay and? True love prevailed," Caroline practically yelled in her cheery voice. "Look now, all the doubt made them stronger, that's why we're all here today."

The other woman sighed; Caroline wasn't granting her an exit out of this. "You're right we should be there it's just that.."

"What?"

"The obnoxious guy I was telling you about I work with, he's going to be at the dinner and I just don't want it to be tense." It was a pointless want because there would be too much tension in the air.

"Okay, we can work around it," Caroline responded. "So, who is he?"

"Damon's brother."

"Oh." Caroline added flatly, "Maybe I should bring that bottle of Brandy over this evening."

"Yeah, see the problem?" Elena ran her fingers through her hair and decided to shift the conversation. "Should I wear revealing red dress or formal yellow sundress?"

"I'm wearing yellow so you are forced to wear a super hot dress tonight," Caroline told her with a huge grin.

"Caroline, it's a family dinner do you really think-" She looked at her phone, the blonde had just hung up on her. Then she huffed and puffed in irritation before fluffing her hair that was in need of straightening.

* * *

If anyone was going see living proof of Damon Salvatore getting married it was going to be Tyler. His older cousin, Mason, and the former Playboy were the ultimate promiscuous duo. They had a legacy of being man-whores and their stories were legendary. Those days passed and were basically over by the time he and Bonnie met, turning his duo into a pathetic one-man show when Bonnie got pregnant. The two had a mini-fallout but bounced right back and Mason even visited the couple time to time in New York and vice versa. He had to accept Damon's new life.

So, when Stefan woke up at 2 pm, he realized he overslept and completely missed the Lockwood's arrival at the airport. That means Mason was waiting at O'Hare for over 3 hours if he hadn't called a cab. He checked his phone after taking a quick shower and brushing his teeth in his towel. There were multiple texts and calls - mostly from Tyler and Mason. He quickly found out a very pissed off Mason ended calling a Lyft. He sighed in relief, so not wanting to get on the expressway with windows down so insects could freely fly in his vehicle.

An incoming call from Tyler, he decided to answer after hours of missing his call.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked in a leading voice, knowing that he and his cousin were pissed.

"Don't bullshit me, Salvatore, you know damn well you forgot to pick me up," Mason sneered.

"Oh, Mason," he sounded out, "Hey, how are you, man?"

The dinner was in 4 hours and he was making small talk.

"I could be better if you come to shoot darts with us and do a little pre-drinking before we go to your parents chaste home, since you got kicked out and all."

"Haha, _very_ funny," Stefan said with an eye roll, grabbing a navy blue dress shirt to put on. "Okay, I'll be there 15 minutes tops."

"Can't wait to see you explain yourself outta this one."

The drive to Tyler's wasn't bad and he hoped throwing darts around won't scuff his shiny black shoes. Mason and Tyler give him a sly look and he knows he has to tell him about his night before. He opens a cold one and they all lounge in the living room on Tyler's black leather sofa. Despite being the macho individual he was, he kept some well-kept furniture. They knew the basics of Stefan's activities on Saturday night. Mason laughed setting his beer on the floor. "How wild was your night for you to wake up that fucking late?"

"Well, it was a good ass party and I almost closed the deal with these two twins-"

"Twins?" Tyler butted in and shuddered in horror at the close relation. "Man, I don't know that's just weird."

"There's nothing wrong with that, I've had my share of twins. Both times," Mason said with a wide grin, making his preference for both genders known.

"Okay, so what they were related it's not like they were okay never mind. They were fraternal anyway! Anyways, both blonde both really sticky and wet and boom they say that they recognize me from Amber's Instagram. So, as they're kicking me out the room I'm drunk but I still open the app and this girl really posted a picture of me sleeping like we're together!"

"Oh, so their morals can be bent at an incestual threesome but not at sleeping with someone's else's man," Tyler said, his voice drenched with sarcasm with a quick eye-roll.

"Please," Stefan stood up, checking himself out in the mirror. "I'm no one's man, I'm just going to have to set her straight. It's not like I'm getting the reward of her putting out anyway."

Mason pulled out his phone and showed it to guys. He had searched up her profile the minute Stefan mentioned it. It was a picture of her Halloween costume from last year; she was dressed as a Playboy bunny. It was a stupid and empty caption that went along with the revealing picture. "You mean to tell me that this girl isn't giving you any?" Stefan nodded negatively and Tyler just shrugged in agreement. It was what is was, Amber only had one thing to offer and ironically she was holding out on it. Mason commented while putting his phone back in his pocket, "Cruel world, man."

* * *

It wasn't long before the dinner finally approached. Everyone started trickling in one by one with flowers and drinks. Damon and Bonnie just accepted what they were given humbly at the moment. She was internalizing her mother's absence this evening and nothing no one would bring material wise would fill that place. On top of that, Angelica was giving her a hard time. The timeouts she gave to a young girl made her behavior even worse. So, by the time the dinner came along the new wife was emotionally exhausted.

She had her family there - Grams and her cousin Lucy and that's all she needed right now. Her baby was happy to see her great-grandmother, her mere presence made her sit down and shush. Bonnie chuckled when she saw Elena and Caroline come in, hugging both of them individually. The blonde smiled at Damon's parents and put the bottle of Brandy on the table. The bronze-skinned woman scanned her cheeky friend's face. Caroline leaned over to tell her in her ear, "Trust me, we're gonna need it."

Before Bonnie could call the blonde's name and ask her for an explanation, she began socializing with Lily and Giuseppe. She shook her head and sighed before sitting back down to stare at her empty plate. Elena took a great look at the house when she walked in and was impressed to see the large dining room paired with the kitchen. This is where her enemy grew up in and she felt vindicated knowing that she had the upper hand. She didn't want to make the connection now, she'd wait to see Stefan's reaction and force him to reveal the link between the two. His face would be priceless when he saw the ferocious brunette sitting pretty with her hair down and relaxed in his home.

Elena touched Bonnie's arms, rubbing it friendly-like and stared with concerning eyes. "You okay?"

Bonnie tightly smiled; she knew reserving an empty spot near her would be a blessing and curse, they knew each other too well.

"Out of a 10, I am on a 3. When Damon comes back with his brother and their friends, this thing can start and I have to be at a 10," Bonnie revealed and then looked at her phone to see a text from Damon. "They're pulling up soon."

Everyone at the table was getting shifty and some even said that it had been about time. To be fair, they had been seated for an hour before Damon had to abruptly get up to pick his friends up because apparently, Stefan caught a flat. His little brother could be such an inconvenience but at least from the small detour, he'd be seeing his old partner in crime. Elena braced herself with that information and wanted a glass full of wine and reached for the bottle to pour.

"Elena, sweetie," Caroline called out nervously, "Don't you wanna wait until the food gets here?"

The dark-haired girl looked from each end of the table and shrugged before pouring her very adult glass. "Nope."

The guys emerge in, three of them had been drinking, some more than others. The unbuttoned polo of Mason's and his sweaty features ratted them out. His boy was getting married and he needed more of an alcohol boost than anyone else. Damon looked slightly annoyed but he did enjoy spending time with them before they were boxed in this house of his parent's. None of them had problems of who they saw except for Stefan. His whole body froze, hell even his dick when he saw Elena in her satin red dress, hair down with a wine glass to her red lips.

_The shit I would do to her if she wasn't an uptight b-Focus Stefan._

He takes his seat next to his brother who was across from Bonnie and who was sitting next to Bonnie was...yeah, he didn't think this position through before taking it. Now he has to stare at her face all night. His father disrupts his thoughts by asking him how's holding up in his new apartment. The young man wanted to snap at the ridiculous question but opts for a one-word answer. Not talking to him or his mother was probably the smartest idea for the night, along with not saying a word to Elena.

The food was brought out by the housekeepers whom Angelica thanked graciously. Grams thought it was over the top but want to keep tensions low, she just gave her granddaughters a knowing look. Nonetheless, everyone dug into the delicious food. They couldn't really thank Lily for it so as they ate there was a deafening silence. Until that is, Mason burped and caused the whole table to erupt in dire stares. Tyler wanted to sock him in the eye for doing something so classless in this type of setting.

Angelica giggled covering her mouth, "You have to say 'excuse me', Uncle Mason."

"You're right, baby girl," He pointed at her and apologized for his rudeness. "But this dinner is going nowhere, why are we here?"

Damon stood up theatrical like and looked at Bonnie lovingly and stated, "I'm here to let all of you know I am completely and utterly in love with this woman here." Everyone looks delighted and even begins to clap and cheer before he could explain himself further. The charismatic man always knew how to capture an audience. "Bonnie Bennett, my rock, the mother of our beautiful little girl, you don't make me be a better person you inspire me too. You take charge and you hold this family down," he steps around the table to get on bended knee in front of her and pulled out a ring. It was a new ring that Bonnie had no idea about and examined the diamond. "Damon, this must have cost a fortune, we don't need-"

"I know we've been through this but will you marry me again in front of all our family and friends?"

Of course, her answer was yes repeatedly and they kissed happily in front of everybody. The clapping ringed in Bonnie's ears afterward and she thought it wouldn't stop. The women flocked around her ring to ogle at it. Lucy looked the most impressed out of them. Damon irritated Elena and Caroline most of the time but they did get emotional during his speech so much so that Bonnie had to point it out.

"I know you two weren't crying over Damon's dramatic ass, he proposed to me months ago."

Caroline put her hands on the woman's shoulders. "This time it was in front of everyone you love, be happy!" Bonnie just looked nonchalant and took her seat again next to her grandmother.

The guys all slapped Damon's back and applauded him for his grand speech. If anyone was to make him settle down, it'd be Bonnie. Luckily, Tyler pulled out his camera in time and recorded the whole thing. "I look good in all angles," Damon commented, then told the male to forward it to him. They looked over at the table where everyone seemed to be gathering again.

Angelica clapped loudly and yelled, "Mommy and Daddy are getting married!"

Her cute outburst made everyone laugh out loud but Lily. That didn't go unnoticed by Bonnie but she decided to ignore it. If the older lady wasn't going to say what was on her mind, Bonnie wouldn't pick at it. Meanwhile, Elena and Stefan were trying really hard not to call each other out. So what, he checked her out a few times he still professionally hated her guts. She could also admit in a less thirsty way that he did look decent in a navy blue shirt but his attitude clouded everything pleasant about him.

"You two know each other or something?" Mason asked with a mouthful of chocolate cake in his mouth. Tyler was cringing at the mixing of alcohol and beer but he did want to know. Had his friend's preference in blondes change overnight? Considering his semi-relationship with Amber he should probably not even answer it, but he wanted to know as well. Caroline started to reach for the Brandy. Suddenly, Bonnie knew its importance the second Mason asked his question because she could see the stares the two shared across from each other. There was a lingering silence.

Damon leaned over, lost in translation, towards Mason and asked in a low voice, "What the hell is happening?"

"I started some shit accidentally, and I think this is the first brunette your brother's liked since Ms. Katherine herself."

Stefan spoke up after a while and kept his eyes on Elena. "We do know each other, actually. She's the other intern I work with."

Caroline was pouring away and was surprised when Tyler introduced himself and asked could she pass the Brandy to him. None of this was good, absolutely none. Mason looked amused as ever and Damon just stared blankly. Bonnie held her hand up with her mouth slightly open trying to find words to speak but she couldn't. Speaking would just make things worse since she knew Elena knew who he was and kept it to herself. However, a little lady ruined the brunette's foil.

Angelica started clapping again and turned to Elena. "See, Auntie I told you he's single!"

Elena chuckled nervously. "Angie, sweetie what are you talking about?"

The young child slapped her forehead in disbelief. "You were there and Mommy was too! I put two and two together and well one and one together and said that you two should be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You asked about me?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Please don't start pumping your ego I asked my friend a simple question," Elena responded icily.

"Okay, so you knew who I was and you don't think to bring that up where we work, hell even now in my home you made me bring it up."

"What do you want to hear, Stefan? That I used the information to my advantage?" She said throwing her hands up.

"Yes?"

"Well, you're damn right I did, you're standing right in the way of what I want. I knew what exactly socioeconomic class you come from and I treat you just the opposite of what your privilege expects!"

Stefan shook his head, she was unbelievable. "_God_, you are such a-"

"Me and Bonnie eloped!" Damon blurted out causing all the guests to snap their heads in their direction. All this arguing was pointless and he couldn't stand to hear it anymore.

"I knew it," Lily said, shaking her head. "It was either that or she isn't that happy to get married."

"Damon..." Bonnie started.

"No, all this is so stupid and I can't keep up with the charades anymore."

"What charades, son, you got married without telling us. What you did was selfish!"

Damon looked around the room and then to his wife before saying his cryptic revelation.

"I have stage one prostate cancer and I want Bonnie to have everything if I miss the 72% chance I have at beating this."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Perhaps

* * *

Since the news of Damon's diagnosis, everyone has been moving in silence. Though his announcing may have been dramatic the responses were static. Everyone wanted to treat him kindly and he hated it. So much so that he wished he could take back that night. The miserable man's leg shook violently as his wife and brother sat on his left and right side.

"Do you think I can make a run for it if I just bolt in that direction?" Damon asked, no snarled while pointing narrowly at the exit sign.

Bonnie stared at him for a second or two in disbelief. "Do you ever just, I don't know, _think_?"

He decided to stay quiet after his wife's words but started shifting again.

"God, I can't do this." Damon stood up and put his hands over his head. He looked at his Apple Watch and saw that it was just nearing 12 in the afternoon.

"You're starting the chemo today, but think of it as a prerequisite for your real surgery that will remove the tumor from your, well, literal ass," Stefan reasoned while scrolling through his phone. He sent Elena a quick text since he got her number through talking to Bonnie. He was half-way expecting her to ignore him at first so he double messaged her.

"Yeah, they're going to stick a device in my vein and pump me up with some expensive ass meds that have a 25% chance of not working!"

Bonnie's phone rang and she rose from her seat and went up to her life mate. "You're fine," She kissed him. "Angelica's at my Grams and you know she doesn't have a change of clothes so I have to go." She turned towards Stefan with warning eyes. "I'll be back to pick you two up at 3 and everything will be alright, right?"

Stefan swallowed and nodded while Damon groaned in annoyance. Bonnie left leaving them alone in the waiting room. That's when the older brother decided to sit down again and thought about how this pity could be avoided if he hadn't said anything.

"Do you want to die or live?" Stefan asked.

"What? Of course, I want to live it's just that..."

"You're acting like a child and don't want to put in the work in fighting this." He pointed at the oncologist's room. "And it's in there."

Damon sighed. "I just don't want the pity that people give you when you say you have the 'C' word. I've gotten over a hundred texts and emails of condolences. I'm not even dead yet! Not to mention I can't go out and work because this stupid ass disease and this painful ass chemo so yes let me be immature and kick my feet up like a 6-year old because I need it, Stefan."

As they rode back home Bonnie drove her Jeep Wrangler steadily with her daughter in her booster seat and the two knuckleheads in the backseat on each side of her. It was a small enough truck for gee size and she loved it. She did smile when she looked in her rearview mirror to see them interacting. Damon looked completely drugged up.

"Mommy, Daddy can't stop laughing!"

"Damon, I swear to God I don't care what medicine they put you on you will be eating steamed broccoli tonight."

"No, I don't want any bro...Brock?" He asked confused.

Bonnie scoffed and shook her head. The house was coming up over on the left soon. They hadn't been there all day and the traffic in the city it was now 5:30. Stefan hadn't texted Elena back since the morning. Angelica got out of the car with ease but Damon was still stuck in his seat spaced out. The two of them assisted him into the house before throwing him in his bed. There were some groceries in the backseat that Bonnie had asked Stefan to help her with.

She handed him two bags before shutting the door. "So, the surgery was that bad huh?"

"Well," Stefan said, rotating his head slightly in thought. "It could have gone way worse but at least it's over with now right."

Bonnie sighed as she opened the door to the house and entered it. "I'm sorry for roping you into this and having you call off, the first round I can't do with Lily. He goes back next Monday for actual chemo so I just need time to think."

Stefan smiled and held her hands and gave her kind eyes.

"We're family, it's what we do. Damon's is going to pull through this and this will be nothing but a distant memory."

Bonnie sniffled. "You think that?" The younger brother nodded and she quickly hugged him even catching him off guard. He reciprocated the hug and caressed her hair as she wept as a way to placate her. They were in the center of the living room and once he looked up he saw Damon in the hallway who looked liked he was scowling and then retreated to his bedroom among many in the penthouse.

"Shit," Stefan said, causing the two of them to cut the embrace short. His phone vibrated at the same time.

Elena: Meet me at Millennium Park, I'll tell you all about

"I have to go, I'll see you soon," Stefan said to a dazed Bonnie before heading out.

* * *

Elena walked around the maze-like area like she was in space. Some of the leafy trees and bushes felt like she whistling away with them. The brunette smiled as she looked where she and her family once ice skated. Their mother took them every winter via bus. The concrete was white and clean as could be as her converses stepped on the pavement. She wanted to switch to a more casual look since she had to dress more professional like for her interview. It was blazing outside so she wore jean shorts and a white tank. Her serene thoughts are interrupted when Stefan rolls up.

"Do you know how difficult is parking in the city? And I only had enough for an hour."

Elena crossed her arms. "I wouldn't know because I made the economical choice to rely on the CTA. Not to mention you drive a truck that's bigger than the average car so I don't know where the blame lies..."

The college-educated male squinted his eyes and pointed at himself and then at the woman in front of him.

"You do realize you called me?"

"Right," She said sighing in realization. Today had been a long ass day and she didn't have to call him to talk about it, she had plenty of girlfriends. Was there a reason to see her co-worker a man she despised outside of the office? Her eyes landed on a bench that she chose to sit on.

"I remember getting wasted not too far from here with Tyler at a music festival. He got in a fight for dancing with someone's girl," Stefan recalled scratching his head at the vivid memory.

Elena laughed, unrestricted and then stopped when she saw him gage her reaction with a smile.

"I bet you and him have a whole reality TV worth of moments that needed to be recorded?"

"Did I say fight or that he ran off and left me to reason with the guy?"

"Well, did you reason?"

He squinted and chuckled. "No, I ran."

"Um, how was your day? Y'know with the whole chemo procedure?"

"Mildly chaotic. I talked to them both separately and they're scared, hell I'm scared but it's Bonnie and Damon they have to make it through this, right?"

"They will. There's a reason why they eloped, Bonnie's in it for the long haul."

"So is Damon. You must think us Salvatores can't be committed."

She smiled. "I might have a bias because the one I work with is just a total bro but I have known my Bonnie long enough to know how she is in relationships."

Stefan put his hand over his chest like he'd been shot in the heart. "Me, not being able to commit?"

"You're a skirt chaser in the crudest way possible."

He licked his lips and looked her over. "You haven't seen me in action."

The flirting, it had to stop and the way he even looked at her, oh god Elena coughed to ease the heat of the moment.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I have something planned tonight."

Stefan nodded and said his goodbyes.

..

Elena caught about 2 or 3 buses and just one train to go up North. It cost her a little under than $10 bucks to travel there but thanks to her sufficiently loaded bus card she managed just fine with the fees. She finally made it to her destination—Harmony Rehabilitation Center. Being caught up with her friend's family chaos made her want to deal with her own. She took a deep breath as she walked into the building. One of the things she noticed hart the colors were very mild maybe to calm the patients going through withdrawals down.

Walk-ins didn't exist so she had called in first though a part of the protocol they still made her write her name and do their checklist. Bringing personal items like her very own house keys in the place because anything sharper than a credit card could be a danger to the patients. After discarding all her belongings in a storage closet, a nurse was leading her to where she needed to go.

She saw her brother in a dark blue hoodie faced towards the window of his room.

"Jeremy," Elena almost cried out before he turned around her to hug her.

"Shit, I wasn't expecting to see you," He replied with a smile. "How's that crazy work schedule at the Tribune like?"

The brunette crossed her arms. "It was going great until they gave me another person to work with. It's experimental for the company to see who will work for the internship harder."

"Is she a bitch?"

Elena cracked her knuckles and rolled her eyes to play up her dislike of the supposed 'bitch'' she worked with. "Try egotistical wealthy straight white guy."

"He doesn't have half the drive you have. I mean c'mon E, you wrote my English book reports for sport."

"Jeremy, I did that so you wouldn't fail the course."

The younger sibling ruffled her hair. "You're still a nerd and you're getting that job." She nodded and sat down on his bed. The room was surprisingly clean for her brother's standards. She wondered if the cleaning took his mind off the drugs, it surely must have helped past the time. His overdose was on the last day of school and he'd been in the facility ever since.

"I wanna know everything about what's going on at home."

Elena sighed and divulged everything to Caroline's new Prada bag to Damon's diagnosis. Her brother's eyes went wide at the mention of Bonnie and Damon's elopement. He did have a schoolboy crush on her but he was way too young for her, still is.

"Bonnie, a married woman?" He scratched his head in confusion. "Pretty sure she said d I had a chance once I became legal."

Elena grabbed a gaming magazine and bopped him on the noggin. "Did you sort of miss the part where Damon, her husband, is sick?"

"All she had to do was wait, I wouldn't have gotten cancer on her. Fuck. I'll pray for them though."

The steady-headed woman leaned on her brother's shoulder, she did miss him. They sat in silence before Jeremy pointed out that there was a TV. An 'oh' left Elena's mouth and the next thing after that was Jeremy challenging her to a game of COD. He wasn't supposed to have it in his possession because of the facility's no violence rule but the youngster was never privy to rules.

"Jeremy, you're supposed to be helping me!" Elena whined while shooting aimlessly at her target.

"I can't help you not suck, E." She rolled her eyes.

A nurse came knocking on the door and Jeremy quickly exited out of the game and to the dashboard opened Netflix. Elena's heart quickened in beats because she had no idea what was going on. She tried to act normal and threw her controller to the wayside.

"Hey, Marsha, what's up," Jeremy greeted coolly with a nod. Elena perhaps nodded too much.

The older lady looked suspiciously in the room. "You all were being extremely loud, I just wanted to see if there was a problem."

"No problem here, just bro and sis watching some good ol' Stranger Things."

"Alright," She walked past the room.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that for?"

"You think a rehab center is going peacefully let a violent ass game like Call of Duty in their facility."

"Okay, when you say it like that..."

They shared a look and went into a fit of laughter.

"I won't be in here much longer with insurance not covering my stay."

"What? Mom said she had that handled."

"She's been paying out of pocket, you know our insurance has been shit ever since dad died."

Elena put her hand over her chest and faced her brother. "I'll talk to her or if that doesn't work I'll just spend my savings screw it, we have to try."

"You have 6 G's stacked up? That's the cost for me to spend another month here."

"Shit," She cursed, wiping sweat from her brow. It isn't what either of them needs to here because they need a solution. Money is what they needed and they needed to make said payment on the first of July.

* * *

Amber: You've been avoiding me._ Read 7:35 pm._

Stefan picked up his phone after hopping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waistline. He almost groaned reading her name much less the text bubble. She gave him blue balls, what else was there to explore there but disappointment for his nether regions.

Stefan: I started a new job, got my shit and I've just been trying to lay low and collect this direct deposit.

He erased it all and broke it down in Amber terms. She would be offended if he kept it that curt with.

Stefan: I'm so sorry, I've just so involved with my brother and this new job. _Read 7:42._

He had on his boxers and was ready for bed, at least to lie in it, by the time she replied.

Amber: Right :( the cancer. I saw it on his Instagram, tell him I'm sending prayers his way. _Read 7:45_

The fact that she would potentially be on her knees for his brother before he boggled his mind. Then it occurred to Stefan that he was not using this whole cancer debacle to his advantage. It wasn't like Amber knew that Damon caught it early and had a very good shot of beating it.

Stefan: Yeah, it's eating me up ngl. Really wish I had someone to vent and hold onto. :/

Just as about he was going to send it, he stopped and erased once again leaving the blonde on read. " Did he want that woman knowing where he lived? He wanted to keep his options open and didn't want the blonde claiming that they were exclusive. And he didn't have any money to spend on a hotel room to retain the address of his place as a mystery. He sent her romantic goodnight text because he wasn't that callous. Once he got in bed and underneath his cool grey and black comforter he only got up from under it, feeling like he was burning up. He sat up and realized that he was horny. There were two types of lotion and moisturizers he used for his body. One was for maintaining his skin and the other was for jerking off.

Coconut oil was slowly becoming a favorite because it was half full. It was way better than lotion because of the natural ingredients. He was doing the planet a favor by using the eco-friendly product so it was a double win. Stefan slabbed a good chunk on his wrist and got back in bed.

He evenly applied the oil from base to tip and massaged himself with care. His hands were big and callous so it took major imagination to envision that it was a woman's doing. One that came to mind and that was on the tip of his tongue was Elena. If he could have her, he would.

"Fuck, I need to get laid," Stefan said, throwing his head on his cool pillow after he finished.

* * *

It was Friday which the week was finally coming to an end. Though with it being summertime the weeks sort of blended into a sunny nothingness. It was lunchtime and Elena decided to use her break to hang out with her friends. They were all outside at a bistro. Bonnie and Caroline were looking at their phone. Caroline held up her phone.

"You guys we should go to this comedy show this weekend."

"I don't know, it's been a long week," Bonnie replied.

"Yeah, it'll put you in a better mood," Caroline convinced.

Elena put her elbows on the table and announced without filtering, "I need $6000 by the first." Her two girlfriends looked flabbergasted. "What, is it something I said?"

The blonde raised her brows and looked at her friend. "Um, yeah! The whole I need 6 stacks thing totally is not hard to miss."

"Oh, God, did I say that?" She put her hands over her head in frustration.

"Honey, it's fine," Bonnie assured her. "We'll figure something out, you look like you've been stressing yourself out trying to come up with it."

"Is it rent?" Elena shook her head negatively.

"It's Jeremy, the rehab program he's in won't accept our insurance. I talked to my mom and she told me she wrote a bad check hoping for the best."

Caroline and Bonnie shook their heads.

"Well, we have to figure out something! Brainstorming would be a great start," Their blonde friend piped out optimistically. The brainstorming lasted about a good 2 minutes before Caroline spoke again.

"I got it. We are going to host a car wash."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "In the city?"

"Yes, we sure are. We're going to have it in River North, there are tons of parking lots there. I'll set everything up."

"Meaning you're going to buy all those parking spaces so we can host some silly car wash," Bonnie realized with an unamused tone.

"Don't take the fun out of it, Bonnie please." She turned towards Elena and held her hand. "Operation: Keep Jeremy in Rehab has started."

Elena thought the idea was crazy and unrealistic and they had so much limited time. She was more privy to Bonnie's way of thinking because as a mother she had to be a realist. Caroline was an event planning junkie. However, the brunette gave a wide smile. All she needed to do is garner a little hope.

"I'm here for it."

**A/N: Car wash is next chapter - tensions rise.**


End file.
